Domestic trade and cost of living deputy minister Fuziah Salleh said the meeting would be chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attended by officials from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), as the regulator of the country’s banking sector.

“Some 1.874 million people use the DuitNow QR platform (for cashless transactions).

“If nearly 1.9 million people use DuitNow, how much money will the banks make?

“We, in the ministry, are afraid that users will be affected,” she told reporters after officiating the Melaka-level Rahmah Sales programme here.

Also present were state executive councillor Allex Seah and Melaka domestic trade and cost of living ministry director Norena Jaafar.

Fuziah also expressed concern that the imposition of the transaction fee would impede the implementation of the country’s digitalisation programmes as outlined under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

She said the ministry had previously implemented the Retail Sector Digitalisation Initiative (ReDI) programme to help small entrepreneurs make digital payment methods more accessible to consumers.

“We are worried that the transaction fee will have a negative impact on these (micro and small) traders and consumers,” she said.

On the shortage of local rice, Fuziah said the public can get supplies at the Agro Madani Sales programme and subsidised imported rice through the Rahmah Sales programme.

She said information about the locations of these sales programmes can be obtained from the websites of the ministry and the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama).